Despite record winter precipitation in California, hydroelectric generation in the Western U.S. fell to a 22-year low in the 2022/23 water year, largely due to drought conditions in Washington and Oregon.
Despite support from the Department of Energy, National Grid has backed out of a major project to significantly increase the two-way transmission capacity between New England and Quebec.
With the days of endless cheap hydropower in Québec coming to an end,and theNortheasternU.S.hoping to rapidly scale up intermittent renewables,the two regionsmay be forced tofundamentally reconsider the role of hydropower on the grid.
CAISO’s net energy exports have increased sharply this year, with imports being displaced by increased output from California’s hydroelectric and natural gas resources.
Serge Abergel of Hydro-Québec touted the potential benefits of using hydropower to balance out wind power and reduce curtailment instead of simply using hydropower as base load.
The Ninth Circuit rejected a challenge to the Bonneville Power Administration's decision to lower rates from conservation groups, who argued more funding should have been directed to fish and wildlife protection.
